April 2016

ng Our 130th Anniversa
ebrati
l
ry
e
C
129TH SEASON
APRIL 2016
VOL. 50, NO. 8
One-Half of a Dynamic Musical Duo...and a Creative Artist
in Her Own Right: Mary Kathryn Traver
Jeffery Beaudry
M
ary K Traver studied piano at Eastman School of Music (ESM) with
the renowned pedagogue Cecile Genhart, a Swiss artist whose own teachers
included Ferruccio Busoni, Edwin Fischer
and Tobias Matthay. Along with Mary K,
fellow students in Ms. Genhart’s studio
included Aiko Onishi, Anne Koscielny
and Stewart Gordon. Ms. Genhart taught
Mary K in the Germanic tradition, but
also was a champion of modern American composers such as Kent Kennan and
Walter Piston. Especially, Mary K’s studies
at Eastman were grounded in the works
of J.S. Bach, early and late Beethoven
sonatas, Chopin, and Brahms’ works like
the Rhapsody in E-flat (Op. 119, No. 4)
and the late Intermezzos for solo piano.
She was invited to teach at ESM in the
Preparatory and Secondary Piano Departments where she remained for four years
before joining the faculty at the University of Maryland. Later, she studied with the
great Rosina Lhevinne at the Aspen Music Festival. In other summers she taught
at the Chautauqua Summer Institute.
Mary K drew upon her rigorous training
when she performed in faculty recitals
and various solo and chamber repertoire
as a performing member of FMMC over
the years.
Of her husband Dr. Paul Traver’s
musical career and of her own, Mary K
said, “He had his life...and I had mine.”
Yet, these accomplished educators and
performers supported each other’s musical
endeavors. Each came to pursue a career
at the University of Maryland’s Department of Music. After Paul gave Mary K
a ride home during a snowstorm their
courtship began, complete with regular attendance at Library of Congress concerts
where they enjoyed performances of the
Budapest and Juilliard Quartets. Among
Paul’s many achievements was founding
the internationally acclaimed University
of Maryland Chorus, and the Maryland
Handel Festival, which presented all of
Handel’s English dramatic oratorios in
their original form for the first time since
the eighteenth century. Not least, Paul was
intimately involved with the conception
and planning of University of Maryland’s
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
For her part, Mary K applied herself
to her career at Maryland teaching piano,
musical theory, and Introduction to Music
Literature. During that time, the Department sponsored several iterations of the
now-defunct Kapell International Piano
Competition and Festival; and launched
the careers of other significant faculty
members, including Gordon, Thomas
Schumacher, Roy Hamlin Johnson and
Bradford Gowen. She also performed
in many memorable concerts, like Paul
and Mary K’s 1963 performance of the
Poulenc two-piano concerto with Emerson Head and the Maryland University Orchestra. Often, Mary K and Paul
entertained important guests during
departmental musical festivals, and their
graceful home music room in College
Heights Estates hosted many talented
artists, including pianist Emanuel Ax,
cellist Yo-Yo Ma, composer Gordon Getty,
and choreographer Agnes de Mille. Paul
passed away in 2011, and these days, Mary
K maintains a small, active, private piano
studio. She remains active in FMMC,
presently serving as chair of both the
Honorary Membership Committee and
the Piano Master Class Committee. (Prior
to this, Mary K and Paul were
both designated as Honorary Members
of FMMC in the same year!) Two of
their three children live nearby, and she
enjoys spending time with her seven
grandchildren.
Mary K maintains a deep commitment
to developing talent and promoting musicianship both within this community and
farther afield. She has been active within
Sigma Alpha Iota, an international music
fraternity for women; she has served for
nine years as National Vice Chairman for
SAI Philanthropies and also its Director
of Graduate Performance Awards. After
continued on page 2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
2
From the Foundation Director
3
President’s Message
4
Where They Are Now
4
News from the Johansen
International Competition
4
Aiko Onishi To Present Master Class
For FMMC
5
Get to Know the Board
6
FMMC Concert Calendar
7
FMMC Chorale Preparing For Two
Concerts In April
8
DVD Review
2
April 2016
From the Foundation Director
Leslie Luxemburg
W
An official publication of the
Friday Morning Music Club, Inc.
Organized in 1886
OLIVIA ADLER
FMMC President
[email protected]
CAROL FROMBOLUTI
Newsletter Editor
[email protected]
For address changes, please go
to www.FMMC.org and
update your member profile.
If you do not have access,
send changes to:
ROBIN FRIEDMAN
2nd VP Membership
[email protected]
The Friday Morning
Music Club is a member
of the Cultural Alliance of
Greater Washington, DC.
Please support our artistic
and educational programs
through the United Way by
designating #8624 or the
Combined Federal Campaign
by designating #38448.
CFC
38448
FMMC
8624
ashington International Competition for Strings
2009 first place cello winner, Hee-Young Lim,
shared the news that she has been appointed principal
cello of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra! HeeYoung tells us, “ I’m very honored to join this orchestra especially under Yannick Nezet-Seguin, as he’s my
favorite conductor!” This news reminds us once again of
the significance of our competitions in the lives of many
young musicians and the value of continuing our efforts
to support and encourage them. Despite the challenges
we face, news like this helps to bolster our commitment
and dedication.
There are some important events on the horizon.
Coming up on Sunday April 3rd is the piano master
class with our 2011 WIC winner Yoonie Han at the
Steinway Piano Gallery at 4:00 PM. Piano teachers and
their students should take advantage of this opportunity
to experience FMMC teenage students Isabella Chang,
Brian Le, Alice Zhang and Vivien Zhu presenting their
selections for Yoonie’s feedback and constructive suggestions.
We look forward to the highlight of the year as we celebrate our 130th Anniversary Celebration
on Sunday, April 17th at 4:00 PM. at Schlesinger Hall. This should be a memorable event as it will
be graced by the Avanti Orchestra, the Chorale, and WIC vocal winners who will honor our very
special place in the musical life of Washington DC and the many long-standing members who helped
make it possible. Like all of our events, this festive program is open to the public at no charge. Please
invite your friends and fellow music lovers to hear Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and excerpts
from Johann Strauss, Jr.’s Die Fledermaus and join us in raising a glass of champagne in honor of all the
devoted members of the FMMC, Frank Conlon in particular!
Skipping over to Saturday, May 14th at 4:00 PM, I encourage you to mark your calendar for our
only benefit of the season for the Washington International Competition, when former FMMC
President Yvonne Sabine hosts a garden party and musicale at her home. The outstanding operatic
vocal quartet Classical FX will present a program of opera favorites and light classics. Join us for a
social hour afterwards. The cost is $50 a person and space is limited to 75 participants, so make sure
to get your reservations in to Christina Hanna at [email protected]. The funds we raise at this
benefit play a vital role in enabling us to maintain the standards of our highly respected competitions.
Attending the benefit seems like a delightful way to support the work of the Friday Morning Music
Club Foundation and we hope to see many of you there!
Leslie
continued from page 1
arriving in the Washington area to teach, she
auditioned as a performing member of FMMC
upon the recommendation of Helen May, thereafter becoming an active performer with the
Club. Among her many acts of service for our
organization, she served on the FMMC Foundation Board and later became Director of the
Foundation itself, whose principal function at
that time was to sponsor the Washington Inter-
national Competition (WIC). Later, as FMMC’s
President, Mary K encouraged the development
of the newly endowed Johansen International
Competition for Young String Players (JIC). We
are grateful to Mary K Traver for her outstanding
service to the Friday Morning Music Club and
to the pursuit of good music in our
region.
The Friday Morning Music Club Newsletter
3
President’s Message
I
am pleased to report that at our Annual
Meeting on May 13, 2016, we will be
asking the membership to approve the
award of Honorary Member status to Judy
Silverman and Thomas Beveridge. This action was recommended by the Honorary
Membership Committee and approved
unanimously at the Board’s February 19,
2016 meeting. We are recommending
this award to Judy, our long-term Club
member who has contributed significantly
and devotedly to the Club both through
her service on the Board of the Foundation and her many years of supporting
the Johansen International Competition.
In addition, she is a talented musician
and teacher. Our other recommended
honoree, Thomas Beveridge is prominent
both locally and nationally as a performer,
conductor, and composer. We thank the
Honorary Membership Committee for
recommending such remarkably deserving
individuals. In the expectation of approval
by the membership, we will invite both
honorees to attend the Club’s Annual
Spring Luncheon.
The Club has undertaken some major
projects this year. The first, of course, is
our celebration of the Club’s 130th anniversary, which will take place on April
17, 2016 at the Schlesinger Concert Hall.
Besides the festive details that appear in
the Foundation Director’s report, please
be aware of the tremendous effort of Anne
Zim in spearheading the management
and publicity for this event. Anne has
been working for months — much of it
from Mexico where she should have been
enjoying the warm weather. Anne, we’re
so grateful to you!
The Club continues its substantial
support of student musical interest and
talent in the Washington, DC area through
our student competitions. Our student
string competition was held last November. The second competition in this
series – the Neva Greenwood Memorial
Student Composition Competition, ably
chaired by Mark Handel, held its finals
on February 27, with five winners (one
first, one second and three third prizes).
Over the next two months, we will hold
the student competitions for voice (March
12); woodwind, brass & percussion (March
12); and piano (April 23).
I am also pleased to report that the
Smithsonian Institution asked the Club
to cooperate in presenting a Resident
Associates program during the Fall 2016
season. Based on our recent meeting with
Mary McLaughlin of the Smithsonian
and subject to official confirmation, it
appears likely that Frank Conlon, our
130th celebration honoree, will present a
chamber music lecture series – something
he has done with great success in the past.
Although it is too early in the planning
process to predict, we hope that the program will offer performance opportunities
to Club members.
Another major Club endeavor is to
assure that the Chorale Orchestra grows
even stronger to support our steadily strengthening FMMC Chorale. The
Chorale Committee is working diligently
to build this group’s core of skilled and
reliably available musicians. The choral
repertoire includes some of the world’s
greatest classical music and the opportunity to participate in the performance of
these works is a privilege that we hope
Club instrumentalists will come to appreciate. A great place to start is at the top —
with the Brahms German Requiem! This
work will be performed on April 29th and
30th. Rehearsals will have started by the
time you read this Newsletter, but there
may still be time for interested instrumental musicians to join. Please contact Peter
Baum ([email protected])
There has also been movement on the
Club name-change project. CultureCapital has informed us that it has located a
Business Volunteer for the Arts (“BVA”)
to whom we can apply for assistance in
analyzing this question. We have submitted a formal application describing the
project, containing an outline, which was
reviewed by the Board, listing what various Club members on both sides of the
question have suggested. We will let you
know if we reach an agreement with the
BVA to take on this project.
The Club is also continuing its efforts
to make available more informal music-making activities for members. Club
past president and current archivist Gail
MacColl is developing a series of quartet get-togethers. She is looking at using
a free Meeting Wizard program which
would enable string players to participate
in run-throughs of significant sections of
the string quartet repertoire, and to meet
other potential chamber music partners.
If the initial testing of this program works
well, we hope to begin this series later in
the spring.
Finally, the Board has become aware
of interest in providing musicians working
on concertos to have opportunities to try
out those works with orchestral accompaniment. Several ideas have been advanced
for how this could be done without
incurring significant new costs. One
approach might be to assemble a reduced
“skeleton” orchestra that would fit in
someone’s home, or to use string quartet
arrangements of orchestral parts. Another possibility would be to establish an
orchestra that would rent itself out for this
purpose. Club members who are interested in such an effort are urged to bring
us their ideas. Please email me with any
thoughts at [email protected]. Finally,
when there is diminished danger of interference with heavy rehearsal schedules of
Avanti and the FMMC Chorale Orchestra
(i.e., after April), we will resume our large
chamber work program with a session
that is expected to include the Beethoven
Septet and the Schubert Octet.
Olivia
4
April 2016
Where They Are Now
Judy Shapiro
A
merican pianist Steven Beck was a
FMMC high school piano competition winner who grew up in the DC area
and is now doing amazing things.
Beck was born in 1978. He is a
graduate of the Juilliard School, where
he studied with Seymour Lipkin, Peter
Serkin and Bruce Brubaker.
Mr. Beck made his debut with the
National Symphony Orchestra, and has
toured Japan as soloist with the New York
Symphonic Ensemble. Other orchestras
with which he has appeared include the
New Juilliard Ensemble (under David
Robertson), Sequitur, the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and the Virginia
Symphony.
Mr. Beck has performed as soloist
and chamber musician at the Kennedy
Center, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall
at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Miller
Theater, Steinway Hall, Tonic, and Barbes.
He has performed in the New York Philharmonic Ensembles Series and WNYC.
His summer appearances have been at the
Aspen Music Festival, Lincoln Center Out
of Doors, the Greenwich Music Festival,
the Woodstock Mozart Festival, and the
Wellesley Composers’ Conference. He
is an Artist Presenter and regular performer at Bargemusic (where he recently
performed all of the Beethoven piano
sonatas), performs frequently as a musician
with the Mark Morris Dance Group, and
has performed with the New York City
Ballet. He has worked with Elliott Carter, Henri Dutilleux, George Perle, and
Charles Wuorinen, and has appeared with
ensembles such as Speculum Musicae, the
Da Capo Chamber Players, the Manhattan
String Quartet, the Pacifica String Quartet, The Metropolis Ensemble, New York
Philomusica, the New York New Music
Ensemble, Mosaic, the Lyric Chamber
Music Society, the Omega Ensemble,
Ensemble Sospeso, the Orchestra of the
S.E.M. Ensemble, Counterinduction, the
American Contemporary Music Ensemble, the East Coast Composers’ Ensemble, the Fountain Ensemble, Friends and
Enemies of New Music, Lost Dog, and
Antisocial Music. He is a member of the
new music ensemble Future In Reverse
(FIRE) as well as the notorious Knights of
the Many-Sided Table. His recordings are
on the Albany, Bridge, Monument, Mulatta, and Annemarie Classics labels.
News from
the Johansen
International
Competition
Judy Silverman
L
ara Boschkor, First Place Violin
winner of the 2015 Johansen
International Competition will be
performing the Brahms Violin Concerto in D major with Capital City
Symphony under maestra Victoria
Gau on Sunday, May 8, 2016 at the
Atlas Performing Arts Theater at 5
PM. The German Embassy which has
graciously agreed to cover the costs
of Ms. Boschkor’s flight from Germany, has made this concert one of its
official concerts for the EU Month
of Culture in May. The concert will
be included in promotional materials
and on the website for the Month
of Culture as well as the German
Embassy’s website.
For tickets please contact:
http://www.atlasarts.org/event/
capital-city-symphony-great-mastersyoung-stars/
Aiko Onishi To Present Master Class For FMMC
Mary K Traver
R
enowned pianist and leading pedagogue Aiko Onishi will return to the area to present another master class/coaching
session for FMMC on Wednesday, May 4th from 10:00 AM until 12 PM at the International Piano Archives located in the
Performing Arts Library of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland at College Park. Performers and
auditors alike praised her master class in October 2013,calling it inspiring.
Miss Onishi has concertized and given lectures and master classes throughout the U.S. and performed in all major cities of
Japan. A winner of the Japan National Competition, she was invited to study at the Eastman of School of Music with Madame
Cecile Genhart where she earned degrees with distinction and highest honors in performance. She later studied for 16 years with
Frank Mannheimer and was privileged to work with Dame Myra Hess in London. For 6 years she was a professor at the Toho
School of Music in Japan and for over 20 years at San Jose University in California. Miss Onishi has regularly returned to Japan,
upon special invitation, to teach. Many of her students have been winners in international competitions, including the Leeds,
Busoni, Casadesus, Kapell, Chopin, Munich and the Washington International Competition.
Her book Pianism (available from amazon.com) is acclaimed by performers and teachers alike. FMMC Performance Pianists who wish to perform for this class may call members of the committee:
Dina Fleming (301-365-6828), Sura Kim (202-966-6490) or Mary K. Traver (301-699-8854).
The Friday Morning Music Club Newsletter
5
Get to Know the Board
Following is a continuation of our series on the Club’s Board of Governors. We hope you will get
acquainted with these members who dedicate their time and energy operating the Club.
Christine Kharazian, violinist, is a graduate of the Komitas
State Conservatory and the Tchaikovsky Advanced School of
Music in Yerevan, Armenia. She studied with Edward Dayan, a
pupil of David Oistrakh, and Hrachia Haroutiunian, a pupil of
Leonid Kogan. She performed with the Armenian National Opera’s Orchestra and was the Solo violinist of the ‘Sharakan’ Medieval Music Ensemble of the Armenian TV.
Christine moved to the United States in 1999 when her husband received a diplomatic post in Washington. FMMC was her
first gateway to the DC music scene. It provided her with opportunities to perform and collaborate with other musicians. Since then she has appeared in concerts at various venues
and embassies including the Kennedy Center, Strathmore Hall,
and the Library of Congress. Christine is a versatile musician
and enjoys performing a variety of styles, with Latin and Gypsy
Jazz being her favorites. An experienced educator, she is a string
orchestra teacher at Fillmore Arts Center, violin instructor at Sidwell Friends School, a teaching artist for Capital Strings of Washington Performing Arts, and an author of a series of programs in
music education presented to area schools.
Fairlie Maginnes, Concerts in Schools grew up in Alabama and graduated from Wellesley College. She got an M.A. in
English from Columbia University, taught at Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama, and in 1971 received
a Ph.D. in theatre arts from the University of Minnesota. She
came to Washington to take a job for one year with the Kennedy
Center when it was about to open, serving in the pressroom the
week of the opening. She met her husband in Washington and
got a job in the Speech and Drama Department at George Washington University, where she taught for 22 years.
Fairlie grew up taking piano lessons, gave a solo recital her
senior year in high school, and has continued with piano lessons
in Washington privately, and now for many years at the Levine
School. She is a 25-year member of the Friday Morning Music
Club. When she joined FMMC, she joined one of the Club’s
piano groups and got involved with Concerts in Schools as an
auditor. Prior to her death, Betryce Prosterman, co-founder and
longtime director of Concerts in Schools, asked Fairlie to take
the lead with FMMC’s role in Concerts in Schools. After WPAS
took on the administration of the program she was invited to join
the WPAS Women’s Committee as a liaison for the Concerts in
Schools. She then initiated a program whereby FMMC performance members would be solicited to offer performances to be
auctioned off each year at the WPAS Gala, which raises funds for
educational programs including Concerts in Schools. That program has had a generous and welcome response.
In 2004 Fairlie published a book, Thomas Abthorpe Cooper Father of the American Stage, a biography of the first great star in the
American theatre. The book is dedicated to the two hundredth
anniversary of the City of Washington and begins there in 1800
when Cooper performed in the first theatrical performance at the
opening of the new capital.
Chen-Li Tzeng, nominated by the Foundation to be
Competition Chair in 2016, is a native of Taiwan. She studied
with Raymond Hanson at the Hartt School of Music and later
with Anne Koscielny at the University of Maryland, where she
received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance.
Chen-Li has served on FMMC’s nominating committee and is
currently the chair for the High School Piano Competition. In
addition, she manages both the Strathmore and Steinway Gallery
concert series.
6
April 2016
FMMC Concert Calendar
APRIL / EARLY MAY 2016
Friday, April 1, 12:00 noon
at Calvary Baptist Church
• Franck: Sonata in A Major for violin and
piano. Hidetaro Suzuki, violin; Zeyda
Ruga Suzuki, piano.
• Selection TBA: Tzu-Yi Chen, piano.
Saturday, April 2, 3:00 p.m.
at Greenspring
• Beethoven: Sonata in G Major, op. 79. Liszt: Un Sospiro. Joan Mizrahi, piano.
• Mendelssohn: Sonata in E-flat Major. Kenneth Latchis, clarinet; Barbara Teng,
piano.
• Franck: Sonata in A Major. Susan
Hayes, flute; Barbara Peterson Cackler,
piano.
Sunday, April 3, 3:00 p.m. at
The Lyceum
• Debussy: Ariettes oubliées. Debora Madsen,
soprano; Gillian Cookson, piano.
• Brahms: Sonata for cello and piano in E
Minor, op. 38. Brigitta Czernik Gruenther,
cello; Amy Rothstein, piano.
• Daniel Dorff: Sonata Three Lakes. Gwyn
Jones, flute; Rosanne Conway, piano.
• Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time.
Christine Kharazian, violin; Henry
Vergilio, clarinet; Jason Love (guest) cello;
Jeongseon Choi, piano.
Sunday, April 3, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
at the Steinway Gallery.
Piano Master Class with Yoonie Han,
2011 WIC winner, featuring FMMC
high school student members.
• Rachmaninoff: Prelude op. 23, no.
5. Alice Zhang.
• Schumann: Fantasy op. 17, first
movement. Vivien Zhu.
• Chopin: Sonata in B Minor, op. 58, second
movement. Brian Le.
• Liszt: Un Sospiro. Isabella Chang.
Sunday, April 3, 7:30 p.m.
at Riderwood
• Selections TBD. Laura Benning, flute.
• J. S. Bach: Toccata in E Minor.
Gershwin: Four preludes. Elizabeth White,
piano.
• Schubert: Sonata in A Minor
(“Arpeggione”), D. 821. Shearom Chung,
viola; Steven Schwarz, piano.
Thursday, April 7, 11:00 a.m. in
The Mansion at Strathmore
• Spohr: Septet for winds, strings, and piano. Susan
Hayes, flute; Nancy Genovese, clarinet;
Margaret Dikel (guest), horn; Susan Wilson
(guest), bassoon; Eunju Kwak, violin; Igor
Zubkovsky, cello; Barbara Peterson Cackler,
piano.
• Rachmaninoff: Vocalise, op. 34, no. 14.
Julian Trail and Sophia Pallas, piano four
hands.
• Copland: Selections from Twelve Poems of
Emily Dickinson. Liana Valente, soprano; Yuri
Chayama, piano.
Friday, April 8, 12:00 noon at
Calvary Baptist Church
• Grieg: Sonata for violin and piano. Hidetaro
Suzuki, violin; Zeyda Ruga Suzuki, piano.
• Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 2, op.92.
Michael Casassa and Ramona Matthews,
violins; Miriam Goldberg, viola; Allan
Malmberg, cello.
Wednesday, April 13, 12:00 noon
at Steinway Gallery
• Baghdassarian: Rhapsody. Khachaturian
(arr. Heifetz): Ayesha’s Dance. Hoorig
Poochikian, violin; Frank Conlon, piano.
• Granados: selections from Goyescas. Carol
Wolfe-Ralph, piano.
• Spohr: selections from Six Songs. Marje
Palmieri, soprano; Harold Yaffee, clarinet;
Stephen Brown, piano.
Thursday, April 14, 11:00 a.m.
at Collington
• Scarlatti: Sonata in B Minor, K 27. Schubert:
Sonata in C Minor, D.958
(I – Allegro). Stravinsky: Firebird suite
(selections), transcription by Guido Agosti.
Tzu-yi Chen, piano.
• J. S. Bach: “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen,”
BWV 51. Katie Katinas, soprano; Ruth
Locker, piano.
• York Bowen: Sonata for clarinet and piano,
op. 109. Phyllis Crossen-Richardson, clarinet;
Janet Crossen, piano. Sunday, April 17, 4:00 p.m., in the
Schlesinger Concert Hall. FMMC
Gala. Avanti Orchestra of the
FMMC, Pablo Saelzer, conductor,
with the FMMC chorale, Paul
Leavitt, conductor, and winners
of the Washington International
Competition for singers.
• Strauss: selections from Die Fledermaus
• Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade.
Thursday, April 21, 12:00 noon
at Old Town Hall, Fairfax.
FMMC Composers’ Concert.
• Sharon Guertin Shafer: Piano sonata.
Sharon Guertin Shafer, piano.
• Leslie Bennett: Songs from the poetry
of Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson.
Jonathan Hoffman, tenor; Frank Conlon,
piano.
• David Rubenstein: Reverie. David
Rubenstein, piano.
• Emmanuel M. Dubois: Yulia, op.45, lyrical
images for soprano and string quartet. Yulia
Petrachuk, soprano; string quartet TBA.
Friday, April 22, 12:00 noon
at Calvary Baptist Church
• Brahms: Waltzes, op. 39. Zdanna
Krawciw-Skalsky and Bonnie Kellert,
piano four hands.
• Glazunov: Five Novelettes. David Brown
and Sheyna Burt, violins; Caroline
Brethauer, viola; Joanna Taylor, cello.
Tuesday, April 26, 12:00 noon
at Dumbarton House
• Vivaldi: Sonata No. 7 in G Minor. Valerie
Matthews, cello; Sylvie Singh-Lamy
(guest), harpsichord.
• Songs of Trouvères, Troubadours, and
Minnesingers. Richard, Coeur-de-Lion:
Ja nuns hons pris. Thibaud de Navarre et
Champagne: Signor sachies. Anonymous:
Bryd one brere. Neidhart von Reuntal:
Mayenzeit one neidt. Walter von der
Vogelweide: Palästinalied. Karen Mercedes,
contralto; Tina Chancey (guest), vielle.
• Mozart: Quartet in D Major, K.499
(“Hoffmeister”). Robyn Tessin and David
Brown, violins; Nick York, viola; David
Pearl, cello.
Wednesday, April 27, 12:00 noon
at The Heurich House Museum
• Selections TBA: Charles Mokotoff,
guitar; Albert Hunt, clarinet.
• Glazunov: Five Novelettes. David Brown
and Sheyna Burt, violins; Caroline
Brethauer, viola; Joanna Taylor, cello.
The Friday Morning Music Club Newsletter
Wednesday, April 27, 7:30 pm
at Friendship Heights Community
Center
• Brahms: Sonata in F Minor for viola and
piano, op. 120, no. 1. Hyejin Kim, viola;
piano TBA.
• Brahms: Two songs, op. 91. Susan Sevier,
contralto; Caroline Brethauer, viola; Ruth
Locker, piano.
• Francis Poulenc: Sonata for clarinet
and piano, FP 184. Albert Hunt, clarinet;
Steven Schwarz, piano.
Friday, April 29, 12:00 noon
at Calvary Baptist Church
• Welcher: Dante Dances. Henry Vergilio,
clarinet; Rosanne Conway, piano.
• Schumann: Trio in F Major, op. 80.
Ramona Matthews, violin; Jan Timbers,
cello. Enoch Gordis, piano.
Friday, April 29, 8:00 p.m. at the
Church of the Reformation and
Saturday, April 30, 8:00 p.m. at
the Church of the Reformation.
FMMC Chorale, Paul Leavitt,
conductor.
• Johannes Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem.
Soloists TBA.
Thursday, May 5, 11:00 a.m. in
The Mansion at Strathmore
• J. S. Bach: Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV
1006. Destiny Ann Mermagen, violin.
• Barber: Selections from Souvenirs, op. 28.
Soyoon Yim, piano.
• Brahms: Four Vocal Quartets, op. 92.
Marjorie Coombs Wellman, soprano;
Miriam Radakovich (guest), alto; Brian
Lee (guest), tenor; Ben Wallis, bass/baritone;
Ruth Locker (guest), piano.
Friday, May 6, 12:00 noon at
Calvary Baptist Church
• Schubert:Variations on Trockne Blumen.
Susan Brandt, flute; Barbara Peterson
Cackler, piano.
• Spohr: Selections from German songs.
Soprano TBA; Carole Falvo, clarinet; Lois
Jones, piano.
• Brahms: Trio No. 2 in C Major, op. 87.
Jean Provine, violin; Lauren Latessa
(guest), cello; Enoch Gordis, piano.
Friday, May 6, 6:30 pm. at The
Heurich House Museum
• Program TBA.
Saturday, May 7, 3:00 p.m.
at Greenspring
• Poulenc: XIIIième Improvisation en la
mineur, Allegro comodo, FP 170 No. 1.
Steven Schwarz, piano.
• Poulenc: Sonata for clarinet and
piano, FP 184. Albert Hunt, clarinet;
Steven Schwarz, piano.
• Brahms: Sonata for cello and piano, op. 38. Igor Zubkovsky, cello; piano TBD.
• Selection TBA: Nikola Pasklalov, piano.
VENUES
Calvary Baptist Church
755 Eighth Street NW
Washington, DC
(Metro: Gallery Place)
Church of the Reformation
212 East Capitol St. NE
Washington, DC
(Metro: Capitol South or
Union Station)
Collington Retirement Community
10450 Lottsford Road
Mitchellville, MD
Dumbarton House
2715 Q Street NW
Washington, DC
Friendship Heights Community Ctr.
4433 S. Park Ave.
Chevy Chase, MD
(Metro: Friendship Heights)
Greenspring
7410 Spring Village Drive
Springfield, VA
Heurich House Museum
1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, DC
The Lyceum
201 S Washington St., Alexandria, VA
The Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike
N. Bethesda, MD (Metro: Grosvenor)
Old Town Hall, City of Fairfax
Corner of Main St. (Rt. 236) &
University Drive, Fairfax, VA
Riderwood Village Chapel
3110 Gracefield Rd., Silver Spring, MD
Steinway Gallery
11611 Old Georgetown Rd.
N. Bethesda, MD. (Metro: White Flint)
Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase
7931 Connecticut Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD
7
FMMC Chorale
Preparing Two
Concerts in April
Peter Baum
A
fter its successful concerts on January 15 and 16, the Chorale is busy
preparing for two concerts in quick succession this month. As part of the Club’s
130th anniversary celebration, the Chorale will be providing the choral support
to Avanti and our outstanding soloists in
selections from Strauss’s Die Fledermaus
on April 17 at 4:00 PM at the Schlesinger Concert Hall in Alexandria,VA.
Two weeks later, on April 29 and
April 30, the Chorale will be performing at the Church of the Reformation
Sanctuary (212 East Capitol, NE) in its
second major effort of the year. The program for this performance is a single, but
very major, work from the choral canon.
Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem
was composed between 1865 and 1868
and performed in its entirety for the first
time in 1869. Since its introduction, this
work has been a favorite of audiences
and performers alike. The Chorale has
presented this work several times but it
never fails to excite and challenge the
group.
While the Chorale has used smaller
orchestras in its recent performances,
a much larger orchestra that will provide the dynamism and drama called
for in this work will accompany this
performance. The two soloists (soprano
and Bass/Baritone) have not yet been
selected.
As with all FMMC concerts, the
events are free and open to the public. Bring your friends and enjoy these
evenings.
Friday Morning Music Club
801 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
FIRST CLASS
U S Postage
PAID
Lutherville, MD
Permit No 171
8
April 2016
DVD Review
By Robin Friedman
Rudolf Buchbinder, piano, Beethoven Piano Sonatas Volume 1 —
DVD, two discs (Unitel Classica)
T
he Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder (b. 1946) has specialized in
Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. He first recorded the complete cycle in 1982, then
rerecorded it in 2012. In August 2014,
Buchbinder performed the complete
Beethoven sonatas at the Salzburg Festival.
All in all, he has performed the complete
Beethoven sonatas in recital nearly 50
times over his long career.
This two-DVD set includes the first
two of Buchbinder’s Salzburg concerts before a live audience. The contents of each
program are as follows.
Program/DVD 1
1. Sonata No. 1 in F minor, op 2 no. 1
2. Sonata No. 10 in G major, op 14 no. 2
3. Sonata No. 13 in E-Flat major,
op. 27 no. 1
4. Sonata No. 17 in D-minor, op 31 no 2,
“Tempest”
5. Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major,
op. 31 no. 3, “Hunt”
Program/DVD 2
1 Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, op. 10 no 1
2. Sonata No. 22 in A-flat major, op 26
3. Sonata No. 22 in F major, op 54
4. Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, op. 7
5. Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor,
op. 27 no 2, “Moonlight”
During the performance you can see
Buchbinder’s love for this music that he
has played and lived with for a lifetime. I
loved watching Buchbinder perform, seeing the intensity of his facial expressions,
his total concentration on the music, and
the movement of his hands. The DVD, by
frequently showing the audience and its
reactions at his performance at the Mozarteum, captures the special experience
that many seemed to have hearing the
music in the beautiful concert hall.
Rather than play the sonatas chronologically or by opus number, Buchbinder
juxtaposes familiar and less familiar works,
shorter and longer sonatas, and sonatas
written at different times. His organization
of the work emphasizes how each sonata
stands on its own rather than as merely
part of a series of 32 works. These first
two concerts focus on early and middle-period works. They begin with the
Sonata No. 1 in F minor. The latest work
chronologically is the rarely performed F
Major sonata, opus 54.
This is a wonderful DVD set for the
many members of the Friday Club who
teach, play, or who just love Beethoven’s
piano sonatas.